Maritime NHL'ers for Kids returning to Digby

Maritime NHL'ers for Kids, the celebrity golf tournament, is returning to Digby July 25-26. - Submitted

DIGBY, NS- The celebrity golf tournament Maritime NHL’ers for Kids is returning to Digby for the second time on July 25-26 at the Digby Pines Golf Resort and Spa.

Sports stars like Ron MacLean, Gerard Gallant, Nathan MacKinnon, Heather Moyse, Jillian Saulnier and Blaire TurnBull will be teeing off with local participants and kids.

Maritime NHL’ers for kids is a major fundraiser to help kids in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and P.E.I. play minor hockey.

“Our objective isn’t to put kids in the NHL but put kids into local arenas,” said managing director of Maritime NHL’ers for Kids, Chris Larsen.

This is the nineteenth year the group has hosted a tournament.

The non-profit organization hosted the tournament in Digby in 2015.

That year, the Clare-Digby Minor Hockey Association received 25 full sets of hockey gear as a donation from the organization.

Maritime NHL’ers for Kids is partnered with Jumpstart, a Canadian Tire charity. Maritime NHL’ers for Kids donated $11,000 to the Annapolis-Digby chapter of Jumpstart in 2015, to support local kids getting the opportunity to play hockey.

Even though the event hasn't been hosted in Digby since 2015, they keep donating.

Since then, over $33,000 has been donated.

“There are generations of kids who aren’t able to play hockey because of the costs associated with it and we want to change that.”

Kids in the minor hockey association will be ‘Caddies’ for the celebrities and businesses playing.

However, the kids are the ones who end up playing and driving the golf carts, while the adults walk along side, joked Larsen.

“It’s such a great day, in our experience it’s been a very memorable day for the kids.”

On tournament day, there is no alcohol permitted on the course. This is a rule that has been strongly enforced since the first tournament.

There will be more celebrities announced as the tournament gets closer.